Eric Ravilious A4 Prints: ‘Beachy Head’.

Eric Ravilious, ‘Beachy Head’, watercolour, 1939.

‘Although confessing admiration for only a few artists, he saw and absorbed the work of many, both dead and living, British, European and Asian. The beams of light from the lighthouse here have the elegance of Nevinson’s Bursting Shell, but the lighthouse is only part of the story; it does not dominate the scene but instead appears small and rather human compared to the vast, uneven geometries of the cliffs.

‘Another artist may have stressed the contrast between light and dark. Instead this vision of night on the south coast is alive with points and glimmers of light, like a modern version of an engraving by Blake or Palmer.’

James Russel, Ravilious, P.130.

Eric Ravilious (22 July 1903 – 2 September 1942) was an exceptional watercolourist, wood engraver and designer. He grew up in the shadow of the Sussex Downs in the coastal town of Eastbourne, the surrounding landscape of which heavily influenced many of his best known works. His instantly recognisable style, palette and choice of subject have an almost universal appeal, a blend which has increased in popularity with the passing of time, particularly in the first two decades of the 21st century.